MiSTer FPGA Forum

Hi,

The MiSTer Discord server requires phone number verification. Preventing bots without a phone number from joining is probably very useful, but I really don't desire to provide my personal phone number to yet another American, VC-backed, tech behemoth.

Is there anyway to join the server without adding a phone number?

I'd say "get a burner phone" - but in many countries even that is now impossible without providing all your core details. Welcome to the NWO

I just do without these things. Luckily forums are still free of this intrusive nonsense.

IRC is free of these things as well (##MiSTerFPGA @ libera.chat). Unfortunately we don't have a Discord bridge yet.

Is this something new? I don't remember having to give my phone # when the server first opened.

pgimeno wrote: ↑Thu Jan 20, 2022 12:37 pm IRC is free of these things as well (##MiSTerFPGA @ libera.chat). Unfortunately we don't have a Discord bridge yet.

How active is the MiSTer IRC channel?

or at least allow read-only access to discord without a phone number. that would let people lurk without having to give up their privacy.

if it was me, i'd just stick with irc. i am not giving my phone number to discord (or any social media site).

NML32 wrote: ↑Thu Jan 20, 2022 2:37 pm How active is the MiSTer IRC channel?

Not a whole lot because we are just five people at the moment, but mcj and I have interesting talks from time to time.

Lightwave wrote: ↑Thu Jan 20, 2022 2:33 pm Is this something new? I don't remember having to give my phone # when the server first opened.

You might have enabled phone verification at some earlier time. It's not so much that individual server ask for a phone number, it just turns out that if some verification method is enforced on the server; the end user has to provide a phone number.

Asteld wrote: ↑Thu Jan 20, 2022 7:47 pm You might have enabled phone verification at some earlier time. It's not so much that individual server ask for a phone number, it just turns out that if some verification method is enforced on the server; the end user has to provide a phone number.

I believe those who have registered before a certain date (a couple of years ago?), are not forced to provide a phone number for 'two-factor' verification, unless they have administrator or moderator status with servers.

AFAIK it's still possible, as it was in the early days of Discord, to lurk in open servers via provisional/volatile handle from a web browser, but I haven't tried recently.

from what i was testing this morning you cannot lurk in misterfpga discord without providing a phone number. nothing is visible until you enter your number. so that's a hard no from me.

Asteld wrote: ↑Thu Jan 20, 2022 7:47 pm

Lightwave wrote: ↑Thu Jan 20, 2022 2:33 pm Is this something new? I don't remember having to give my phone # when the server first opened.

You might have enabled phone verification at some earlier time. It's not so much that individual server ask for a phone number, it just turns out that if some verification method is enforced on the server; the end user has to provide a phone number.

Just checked my Discord account and it says "You haven't added a phone number yet", so I must have joined before that was enforced.

(If I had been asked, I probably would never have joined).

I think requiring a phone number just to join a gaming server is a bit over the top. The Classic Gaming server also tried that, but then later realized it was too extreme and really not necessary so they went back to normal security. I highly doubt the MiSTer server has more issues with bad bots than any other server. They have like 5 moderators in total, I'm sure that is enough to handle a bad bot here and there.

Plus, its not like requiring a phone # would prevent unwanted people from joining, there are always ways around that.